Renewable energy stocks rallied in Asia and Europe on Wednesday as Tuesday’s mid-term elections in the United States resulted in a sweeping victory for the Democrats, who took control of both the House and Senate.
The “blue wave” of the elections turned into a “blue trade” in equity markets, where renewable energy stocks soared at opening in many Asian and European markets. Investors are betting that Democrats would favor renewable energy, unlike President Donald Trump, who has been openly hostile to clean energy in both his statements and executive actions since taking office for his second term.
With Democratic control of Congress that could push against the Trump Administration’s anti-renewable policies, stocks of European wind turbine makers and solar equipment manufacturers in South Korea jumped.
“The blue trade is showing up already with money rotating out of the AI buildout and into what a Democratic Congress favors,” Anna Wu, an investment strategist and founder of Floodlines Research, told Bloomberg on Wednesday.
Shares in Denmark’s Orsted, the world’s largest offshore wind farm developer, rallied 6% at opening in Copenhagen today, and wind turbine maker Vestas jumped 5%.
South Korea’s Hanwha Solutions Corporation soared in Seoul by 18%, HD Hyundai Energy Solutions Co Ltd surged 12%, and shares in OCI Holdings Co Ltd rallied 10%.
The “blue trade” now favors global clean energy stocks as investors are pulling back from the AI and data center plays amid increased scrutiny over projects and a growing backlash against huge data center buildouts in the United States.
The Democratic sweep of Congress is pressuring down AI stocks and chip makers, amid investor concerns about potentially greater regulation over the advances of artificial intelligence. The Democratic wins for governors of Texas and Ohio, two states that have expanded data centers in recent years, could mean more regulations on permitting going forward, analysts say.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
